Mass Effect 2

A sequel to the bestselling action RPG developed by BioWare, continuing the story of Commander Shepard, who nearly lost his life attacked by a mysterious enemy after having beaten the Reapers during the final moments of Mass Effect.

Mass Effect 2 is the official continuation of the hit role-playing game issued in 2007. The game was developed by BioWare, the creators of Dragon Age, Baldur's Gate, Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire, just like its predecessor.

Mass Effect 2 takes us into the distant future, offering the possibility of exploring the galaxy inhabited by several intelligent alien races. The action takes place two years after the events of the first installment of the series, in 2185. Once again, we assume the role of Commander Shepard who, having successfully repelled the Reaper invasion, must face a new danger, namely, it turned out that human colonies are gradually disappearing at the edges of the galaxy. The protagonist is forced to ally himself with a ruthless organization called Cerberus and sets off on a suicide mission to investigate what happened to the colonists.

The game can begin in two ways: by creating a completely new character or by loading a saved game from the first Mass Effect. In the latter case, we can count on retaining the unlocked characteristics of the protagonist, but also on transferring information on all of the decisions we have taken so far. This, in turn, can have a significant impact on the gameplay. For example, an individual whom we previously helped, can now return the favor in some way. The main character is not forced to explore the game world alone, because just like in the first game of the series, we can lead a three-people party, choosing two henchmen according to our preferences, class, skills, or characteristics of a given mission. In Mass Effect 2, we command both the personalities known to fans of the series, including Tali'Zorah and Garrus Vakarian, as well as completely new characters such as Samara and Thane.

In the sequel, an even greater emphasis was put on spectacular combat. This time about twenty weapon classes were given at our disposal, as well as many interesting biotic powers which skillful application allows to win even more battles. In relation to the first Mass Effect, the targeting and commanding systems were improved. The damage system was also replaced with a better one, allowing for mutilation of enemies or blinding them a headshot, among other things. The gameplay is based not only on combat, though, some improvements were also made to the dialogue system. Now, a skillful selection of dialogue lines in combination with the use of personal charm or intimidation can now lead to even more interesting solutions and outcomes.

In order to move between the various location, we are still using a spaceship and select destination directly on the galaxy map. It is still possible to explore less important planets in search of interesting finds or minerals, although the developers significantly diversified the range of available side missions which resulted in the fact that no longer are they practically limited to elimination of hostiles.

Visuals Mass Effect 2 retains a graphical style similar to the first game in the series, also presenting a similar level of performance. During our adventures, we visit planets of diverse architecture and unusual flora and fauna. The events are still observed from the third-person perspective.

Executive vice president for EA Studios, Patrick Soderlund, suggested that Mass Effect franchise might get refreshed, following Activision’s “remaster policy”. Aaaand the hype train has departed! In other news, Andromeda is on its way.

On the occasion of the N7 Day, the co-creator of the Mass Effect trilogy, showed some concept arts on his Twitter, which that may suggest the arrival of a new installment of the series. For the same reason, thematic skins, available until November 12, appeared in Anthem.

Drew Karpyshyn, the main scriptwriter of Mass Effect and Mass Effect 2, joined Archetype Entertainment, a studio founded by Wizards of the Coast. Together with other BioWare veterans will develop a science fiction RPG.

The devs of the Mass Effect trilogy wrote on Twitter that about 92% of users playing the game chose to be a Paragon rather than a Renegade. This, in turn, started an online discussion about moral systems in video games.